Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) after zeroing down on Lahore, Karachi and Rawalpindi as the venues for the Champions Trophy 2025 and submitting a tentative schedule for the tournament to the ICC, has shortlisted a solitary venue for all the matches for India. Depending upon if they do travel, India will be reportedly playing all their matches in the Champions Trophy 2025 in Lahore.
As per a Cricbuzz report, Lahore has been picked as the sole venue for all India matches in the 50-over tournament set to be held in Pakistan in mid-February next year given that the city is close to the border and will ease the travel for the incoming Indian fans from across. The diplomatic relations between the two nations has hampered the bilateral cricket between both India and Pakistan and both face each other in just the multi-nation tournaments, whether continental or global.
The report stated that the allocation of just one venue has been done so that India wouldn't have to travel much through the country and will be based in just one city. The final decision of whether India travel or not will depend on the decision by Government of India.
India didn't travel to Pakistan for the Asia Cup last year and it may be the case yet again. Pakistan as the hosts qualified for the tournament automatically while India, Australia, England, New Zealand, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and South Africa were the other seven teams to qualify for the tournament after finishing in the top eight on the points table in the World Cup last year.
Eight teams will be divided across two groups of four each with the top two set to make it to the semi-finals and the winners then will play in the summit clash for the trophy. The tournament is set to be short and a very quick one. Pakistan are the defending champions and will host the tournament for the first time.
